The Wide Wide World of Panoramic Imaging

Learn what a panorama is, the history, and how to create them yourself.

What is a panorama?

pan3 (p²n), a word element or prefix meaning "all", implying the union, association, or consideration together, as forming a whole.

pan·o·ram·a (p²n"…-²m"…, -rä"m…) n. 1. An unbroken view of an entire surrounding area. 2. A comprehensive presentation; a survey. 3. A picture or series of pictures representing a continuous scene.

According to the book called Panoramania! published by the Barbican Art Gallery in London 1988, the first person to coin the term Panoramic was an Irish-born artist working in Edinburgh (Scotland) who developed the idea of 360° paintings. His first piece was a view of Edinburgh painted on the inside of a cylindrical building.